Construction Industry Poll
Lattice Boom Cranes (Crawler Mounted)
Liebherr offers APU to reduce ownership costs
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March 26th, 2012
Company: Liebherr Construction Equipment Company
Category: Lattice Boom Cranes (Crawler Mounted)
Most lift cranes spend most of their time idling. The engine is running but the crane is not actually operating. In warm climates it is necessary for the comfort of the operator that the engine keeps running because it also powers the air conditioning. However, running engines in this way is clearly not efficient. It wastes fuel and it clocks up operating hours.
As a solution, Liebherr Nenzing Crane Co. is now offering an auxiliary power unit (APU) on all its LR series lift cranes to power the air conditioning. The APU allows the operator to turn off the engine and still stay cool. It saves the crane owner money on fuel, service costs and residual value.
The fuel saving can be estimated at 4 gallons (16 litres) per hour that it takes to run an average crawler crane engine on idle. Conservatively assuming a crane is run idle for 50% of the time, that is approximately 4,000 gallons (16,000 litres) a year.
Similarly, with operating hours halved, service intervals are lengthened and the amount of maintenance required is halved. This reduces costs further and also cuts the downtime.
Yet more financial benefit is realised when it comes time to sell the crane or trade it in. With fewer operating hours on the clock, the residual value of the crane is significantly increased.
Of course, fuel is still required to power the APU, but as it is much smaller than the crane engine, the fuel required is a small fraction.
Liebherr Nenzing crawler cranes use 270kW or 450kW (362hp/600hp) diesel engines, depending on model. The APU is a small 11kW (15hp) Hatz diesel motor – more than ample to power the air conditioning. The APU is integrated into the machinery house, designed into the machine, and secure from the possibility of damage.
Liebherr Nenzing Crane vice president Scott Moreland says: “Since California introduced its anti-idling regulations in 2008, there has been a growing realisation among commercial vehicle owners that an auxiliary power supply unit, far from being an additional expense, is actually a real money saver, especial on a machine like a lift crane that spends most of its times idle.”
He adds: “Most of my customers tell me that their cranes are typically idle for as much as 75% of the time that the engine is running. On that basis, we would easily expect the APU to pay for itself and start rapidly ramping up the savings within 12 to 15 months.”
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